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The use of essential oils, not only as a component for massage but also as a part of a skin care regimen in the form of facial oils has become massively popular in recent years, and for all the right reasons. Most women, and even many men, want to look as good as they can, and so many have turned to facial oils as a bridge to radiant, glowing skin.

Although facial oils are already used by many as part of routine skin care, many more are still in the dark about them, which is crazy considering they work amazingly well. I’m just doing my part to spread the word and make the world a softer, more beautiful place!

When it comes to facial oils, there are some basic things to know like their beneficial effects, which oils work best for certain skin care types, how to properly use them, the effects of applying facial oil before or after your moisturizer, and much more. I’ll talk about all these ins and outs of facial oils to give you the confidence to try them yourself.

Introduction to Facial Oils

Most would think that facial oils are moisturizers, but this is a common mistake for many. The two are separate things, and the first should not be used as a substitute for the second. The correct and better view is that facial oils should be used together with moisturizers in skin care.

The reason for this is that, unlike moisturizers, facial oils do not sink deeply into the skin so as to provide extensive hydration. Instead, facial oils stay mostly near the surface to serve as an additional protective layer to the skin and to give the skin a smooth feel.

However, facial oils are capable of providing superficial hydration to the skin. The most important function of facial oils in moisturizing is that they act as a skin sealant that locks moisture in the skin, so knowing when to apply facial oil before or after moisturizer is important.

Second is that facial oils contain several nutrients, antioxidants, and fatty acids that are all important in keeping the skin healthy and glowing. The third is that it gives the skin an added layer of protection that protects pores and keeps moisture in.

How to Use Facial Oils

The first thing to know about using facial oils is to assess what skin type the face has. Knowing the difference in skin types is very important because it is where the decision whether to put the face oil before or after moisturizer is hinged on. The type of skin would basically dictate how facial oils should be used and the skin types are commonly grouped into two classes –dry or normal skin and oily or acne-prone skin.

When it comes to the normal or dry skin type, facial oils can either be used as a combination of moisturizer or as a complement to moisturizer. As a combination, three to six drops of facial oil can be mixed with the moisturizer so that when the latter is applied to the skin the former is already found in it.

As a complement, the facial oil is applied after the moisturizer has already been applied, as the oil will then create a protective barrier. Applying a facial oil first can prevent skin penetration of nutrients found in the moisturizer.

When it comes to oily or acne-prone skin, it is recommended that the facial oil be applied only after the regular skin care process has been done – which means that the facial care is applied on the skin after it has been cleansed, toned, applied with serum and moisturized so that it can be guaranteed that the skin is clean before putting facial oil and creating that protective barrier.

Like with dry skin, it is not correct to apply facial oil before or after moisturizer, because the correct process should always be moisturizer first then facial oil after, so that the nutrients found in the moisturizers can still be absorbed by the skin and the moisture it provides the skin can be sealed and retained after the facial oil has been applied. Also, facial oil should be used moderately for oily and acne-prone skin.

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